November 30, 2006

Here's the jam I made for my New Zealand Blog by Mail buddy. The original recipe was to be made in the microwave but as I don't have a 3 litre bowl suitable for the microwave I made it on top of the stove. I used frozen fruit which I defrosted in a bowl on the bench overnight.

CRANBERRY AND BLUEBERRY JAM450 grams (2 cups) of sugar450 ml water350 grams cranberries (3 cups)100 grams blueberries s(1 cup)Place sugar and water in a large pan and heat slowly until sugar has dissolved.Bring to boil and boil for 5 minutes.Add fruit and return to boil.Boil until set.Pour into sterilised jars.

November 28, 2006

You know the feeling...what can I have for lunch that is a little more exciting than a cheese sandwich. So you go to the fridge and spy the eggs you bought at the market on the weekend and the half packet of feta cheese. Ah ha you think, I have the beginnings of a meal, maybe an omelet. But there's two of you which means you have to make two omelets. Why not put it all together in one dish and bake it in the oven?

Grease an oven proof dish and add a layer of halved plum tomatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper.Bake in a moderate oven for 20 minutes. Remove dish from the oven.Tear up some basil leaves and add to dish.Add a few cubes of feta cheese.Cube some bread and add to dish.Beat 4 eggs with half a cup of milk and pour over mixture.Bake 20 minutes in a moderate oven.

I made one or two tiny alterations to the original recipe. I made a chicken stock to which I added 1 star anise and a small knob of ginger to the water as I wanted to create an Asian influenced risotto.

I replaced the wine with Stones green ginger wine, the lemon with lime, omitted the Parmesan and chives and gently fried the 12 peeled and chopped prawns in the butter. The ginger wine made it quite sweet and I balanced this by adding more lime juice.

For the prawns:prawns about 20 (but it depends on how big they are)butter 25g, meltedsea salt & cracked black pepperfresh basil leaves 8

Put
the oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and let cook for one minute
over medium-high heat, or until the onion is soft. Add the rice and
stir for 1 or 2 minutes until all the grains seem coated with the oil.
At high heat, add the wine and let it evaporate, add then gradually the
boiling stock (one cup at a time, add new stock when the preceeding cup
has been absorbed). The whole cooking process should take 18 minutes.
To be sure, taste the rice at the end, it shouldn’t be hard but
definitely not too chewy either (al dente, that is). At this time take
the risotto of the heat, and add 4 tablespoons lime juice, the grated
rind, cooked chopped prawns with the butter they were cooked in, shredded basil, salt & pepper to taste, stir
well and let it rest for a few minutes.

Before starting to cook the
risotto you should prepare the prawns: wash them first, cut of their
heads and peel body, removing vein down the back of the prawn. Chop into bite size pieces. Melt butter in fry pan and gently sauté prawns until cooked.

November 22, 2006

I finally did what everyone else has been doing for the past couple of weeks. This is my no knead bread as featured in the New York Times made by Jim Lahey. I'm not sure where I went wrong but I waited 40 hours for it to rise and the bubbles to form on the surface. Even then there were only two bubbles but as the surface was beginning to turn grey I went ahead with the next step. When it was all nicely laid out on the cloth for the second rising I went out to lunch. There was just enough time , it was a long lunch, to bake it ready for dinner.

So it didn't rise very much and it's a but too crunchy on the edges but it tasted sensational. The family loved it and we ate the lot with dinner tonight.

Put apricots in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a gentle boil. Cook gently until the apricots are very soft, about 15 minutes. Drain.

Line the base of a 23cm loose bottomed tin with baking paper and brush the sides with butter.

Put butter in a bowl and beat with an electric beater until creamy and loose, then beat in caster sugar and beat until fluffy and lighter in colour. Beat eggs with a fork, then gradually add them to the creamed butter and sugar, adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of the measured flour to stabilise the mixture.

Sieve the rest of the flour over and fold in using a metal spoon, adding the almonds, lemon zest and milk. Spoon half the mixture into prepared tin, smoothing top with a knife. Put in a layer of apricots, then top with the rest of the cake mixture.

Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form, then fold in sugar and coconut. Spread over the top of the cake. Cook for 50 minutes in an oven- preheated to 180 C (regular bake), or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.

Remove cake from the oven and loosen from the tin, but let it cool 15 minutes before removing from the tin. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with thick yogurt or whipped cream.

November 19, 2006

Fieno del fieno il relativo giorno di donna is the Babelfish translation for Hay Hay Its Donna Day. Cenzina has posted Hay Hay Its Donna Day #8 . Cenzina is our first European host and has selected a well known Italian recipe for the challenge. Couldn't you just tuck into a bowl of her Tempo di Risotto right now. I'm sure it tastes as good as it looks.

This month's challenge is very special as it is the 1st anniversary of the Hay Hay Its Donna Day challenge. And to make the event even more special Cenzina has arranged a wonderful prize for the winner of the best risotto. We are very grateful to the lovely people at Sal Lorenzo for their generous goody box of Italian specialities. Drop by and say bonjourno to them.

Visit Cenzina at il cavoletto di bruxelles for the risotto recipe and competition details. You may choose to make the recipe as written or design your own risotto using the basic method. Send your entries to Cenzina at risottofordonna(at)gmail(dot)com by the 27th November.

November 17, 2006

I'm really back into drinking wine again. When Elise visited New Zealand back in June we got together for lunch. She kindly brought me a couple of bottles of Californian wine. This week we opened the Zinfandel from Chalet Fleur de Lys . The Zinfandels I've tried in the past, and that is not many as there isn't much around in New Zealand, have been pretty ordinary. This bottle from the Sierra Foothills in California has changed by view. We drank it over two nights. The first night I served it with lamb backstraps which I pan seared, then splashed some verjuice and merlot jelly into the pan to make a sauce. A perfect match. Not such a good match the following evening with a Beef Strogonoff. It clashed with either the chili or the sour cream. I found the wine a good balance between fruit and oak with some nice berry flavours. Thanks Elise for introducing us to a lovely Californian Zinfandel.

November 16, 2006

I don't usually make chutney. Actually I've never made chutney but I guess there is a first time for everything. When Debbie posted this recipe over on the forums at C&Z it seemed like a good time to begin my chutney making experiences. The stove top was getting a little jealous of all the attention the new oven has had this week. This morning I decided to lavish a little attention on the stove top. Now we have two jars of chutney in the pantry. I suspect one jar will be going to a certain person as part of my New Zealand Blog by Post package.

Saute onion and garlic in a little oil until translucent but not browned.Add kiwi fruit, sultanas, spices.Cook until slightly softened but not mushyAdd sugar and vinegar and mix well.Simmer until sultanas plump and soft and kiwi fruit starting to lose shape (about35 minutes).The vinegar should reduce to almost nothing and you will be left with a moist chutney.Serve with meats or hard cheeses and bread.

November 14, 2006

This afternoon I dropped by Newmarket's latest gourmet food outlet. Originating in Australia, Jones The Grocer opened it's doors yesterday. Judging by the number of people there today it will be a popular addition to the Auckland food scene.

Lots of excellent cheeses to choose from along with the usual deli items plus teas, pastas, chocolates and some rather pretty gingerbed Christmas bikkies. I treated myself to some serrano ham , St Nectaire cheese and a good lump of Parmigiano Reggiano .

There are a few tables available if you want to have coffee or a deli style snack.

November 11, 2006

Caroline made these last week. Beccy saw them and she made them. It seems they originated with Nicky . Remember when Nicky baked this recipe and a new blog challenge was born.

Anyway this week my new oven arrived and I just had to bake something in it. Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies sounded pretty good, looked easy and I had all the ingredients in the pantry. Caroline and Nicky both have their versions of the recipe up so I won't repeat it here. Carolines recipe does make a huge amount of cookies. I baked half the mixture , rolled the rest into cylinders, wrapped them in clingfilm and popped them in the freezer for another day.

November 09, 2006

Angelika at The Flying Apple started this meme where you post the meal you would serve if you were inviting fellow bloggers to dinner. I've been tagged by Bruno over at Zinfully Delicious .

Back in June I did invite a couple of food bloggers to lunch. Elise was in Auckland on a business trip and came bearing bottles of Californian wine. Celine joined us for the day and provided the dessert. It was a week after my final chemo infusion and being a little tired I served a hunting and gathering meal. That's where you (or in my case my husband) go out hunting and gathering bits and pieces to put a meal together. I did make a kumara soup because soup is the easiest thing in the world to make.

Five months have passed, I've finished chemo and my energy levels are much improved. I'm back into cooking with the enthusiasm that comes with suddenly rediscovering your taste buds after 7 months.

My invite to dinner extends to all food and wine bloggers and several bloggers I read who don't always blog about food. When you arrive I will serve a flute of my favourite champagne. At some point I'll probably tell you about the day I spent as guests of this champagne house. To nibble on will be a plate of crostini of New Zealand South Island smoked salmon with sour cream.

We'll then move to the table and on it I will place a large platter of roast New Zealand lamb and a second platter of roasted vegetables. The lamb will have been deboned, massaged with olive oil, sprinkled with Maldon salt and placed on a bed of rosemary then roasted slowly in a low oven for a couple of hours. I will have roasted the vegetables earlier in the day and they will be served at room temperature. To accompany this part of the meal will be two dressings. One made with pomegranate molasses, olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper and a second of natural unsweetened yogurt with a bunch of chopped flat leaf parsley mixed through. The two together make for a great taste sensation with the lamb and vegetables. There will be more than enough for you to have seconds if you wish. You will love the wine. It's my favourite pinot noir from Central Otago.

Now for the cheese. There will only be one. A whole wheel of Kikorangi Blue. Not one of those stingy pieces wrapped in plastic they sell at the supermarket. This will come with ciabatta bread from Pandora's and a selection of wonderful Rutherford and Meyer fruit pastes. Hopefully it will be summer, then I can serve summer fruits. On a large white platter I will pile a couple of punnets of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Over this will be poured a sauce of warm sieved apricot jam softened with a splosh of port. Not too much, just enough to make the fruit glisten. I will dust the fruit with icing sugar before bringing it to the table along with a jug of pouring cream. Mascarpone would be nice also so maybe I'd serve both. I'm rather a fan of Ngatarawa Glazebrook Noble Harvest Riesling and I'm sure you will be too after today. About now we will move to the table by the pool and we will chat while Bryan makes coffee, or herb tea if you prefer. Chocolate will be too heavy after this meal and I rather think the Ginger Madeleines would be just perfect. Maybe you fancy a liqueur with coffee. I always have a bottle of Cuvée de Centenaire from Grand Marnier in the cupboard. No doubt I'll tell you about the wonderful meals I've been treated to in Paris by my friends at Grand Marnier.

If you aren't staying with us overnight, and I hope you are, you may want to book a taxi to get back to your hotel.

I now get to tag other food bloggers and I'm picking one old favourite and a couple of new guys .

November 05, 2006

Is Auckland becoming the market capital of New Zealand? For years Aucklanders have spent weekends browsing and buying at the Takapuna,Otara and Avondale weekend markets. Recently two seven day a week food markets have been added to the mix. There is also the bi monthly Devonport Farmers market which began recently and I have yet to visit.

Last Sunday I made it to the first (up)market at the newly renovated Stamford Plaza in Auckland city. This was the first of what is to become a regular event on the last Sunday of each month. And very different it was too. Not a second hand book or vegetable in sight.

We arrived and headed straight for the champagne table where for NZ$10 we purchased a flute of Comte Audion de Dampierre before doing a circuit of the room. The stalls were a mix of art, jewellery, fashion, furnishings, gourmet foods and some gorgeous pashminas made from the finest baby alpaca fibre . Next time we'll skip breakfast and try something from the small selection of food available. I don't remember seeing any tables and chairs to sit at but it would be nice to be able to linger over a coffee and people watch.

Will we go again? Yes, I rather like the idea of a glass of champagne on a Sunday morning.

November 02, 2006

I found this madeleine recipe in the Susan Loomis book Tarte Tatin. This book and On Rue Tatin tell the story of Susan's life in a Normandy village where she runs a cooking school. Susan is living the life of my dreams. From beginning to end both books are a great read with wonderfully descriptive chapters. There were moments I felt I was right there renovating the old house, enjoying a meal in the garden, cooking with Susan.

The madeleines are quick, simple and a delightful bite with an herb tea morning, afternoon or evening.

MethodMelt butter with grated ginger over low heat.Cool to room temperature.Sift together flour and salt.Add minced (or finely diced) ginger.Whisk eggs and sugar together in a large bowl until thick and pale.Fold in flour and ginger mixture.Add melted butter.Fill buttered pans 3/4 full with mixture and refrigerate 30 minutes.Cook at 220C 7 - 8 minutes.Turn out and serve warm with herb tea.

I don't own any madeleine tins so have used a small patty cake pans. The cakes have a very slight hint of ginger. Next time I think I will add a little extra ginger to make them a little stronger.

November 01, 2006

Yesterday, for the first time ever, I blended spices for a curry. Usually I buy a packet of paste and toss it in along with the coconut cream. After Sam's rave about growing up in a household with jars of Sharwood's curry powders I decided it was time I made the effort to make a real curry.

Needing to follow a recipe, I chose a Sri Lankan curry powder from Taste magazine. Driving through Sandringham on Saturday on route to the Halal Bihalal gathering I called at a spice store to buy the necessary spices.

Yesterday I measured out all the seeds and proceeded to toast the spices. When I got to the coriander seeds I discovered it was crawling with little insects. I remembered seeing coriander seeds in little bottles at my local supermarket. Much more expensive than buying in bulk but cheaper than driving all the way back to Sandringham to replace the infected seeds. A brisk walk to the supermarket and I was soon back with two very expensive little jars of coriander seeds.

Last night I made a curried chicken recipe using some of the spice blend. What a difference a little effort makes to a curry. I'd have liked the meal to be a little hotter but at least the blend gave an authentic taste to the curry. Today the house still smells like an Sri Lankan Curry house but I rather like it.

In a heavy based pan over low heat, separately toast the coriander, cumin, fenugreek and fennel seeds, stirring constantly until each becomes fairly dark brown (about 3 - 4 minutes). Don't let them burnPut the roasted spices into a grinder together with the cinnamon stick, broken into pieces, cloves, cardamom seeds and curry leaves. Blend on high until finely powdered. I used my blender as I don't have spice grinder. You could use a mortar and pestle.Store the curry powder in an airtight container in a cool place.